Apple patents hint at more durable glass design for future iPhones and iPads

According to a report from Patently Apple, a new patent application from Apple published today hints at a more durable glass design for future iPhones and iPads. It might be a glass with “enhanced stiffness” for portable electronic devices like iPhone and iPads.

This new patent application explains it as a cover glass for Apple devices and the cover glass might be applied over a display or over the body of the device for an added layer of protection. This makes the device more durable and more resistive to cracking. In theory, it can be explained as “ribbed” design; meaning it might be a protective layer that can be designed with a crosshatch of fiberglasses, strengthening the glass and prevent cracking.

The Apple patent explains how the sapphire coating could be used to improve strength. To remind you, Apple started using sapphire on iPhone camera lenses and Apple Watch, but this patent describes how a sapphire coating could be used on other devices as a cover glass and provide “sufficient stiffness.” This new patent adds to the Apple engineers efforts who have previously worked extensively on various glass designs. Whether or not this cover glass design makes it to the final stages remains to be seen.